Banding apparatus



Nov. 15, 1966 J. D. com"! BANDING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug.28, 1963 Nov. 15, 1966 J. D. CONT] BANDING APPARATUS m N PU K w 0 m d mNov. 15, 1966 J. D. CONT! BANDING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug.28, 1963 Nov. 15, 1966 J. D. CONT] BANDING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed Aug. 28, 1963 -II|\\\\- lLllllllllllllllllllllll United StatcsPatent 3,284,982 BANDiN-G APPARATUS .l'ohn D. Conti, Elkins Park, Pa,assignor to FMC Corporation, Fhiladeiphia, Per, a corporation ofDelaware Filed Aug. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 305,118 9 (llairns. (Cl. 53-137)The present invention relates to banding of articles, and moreparticularly to apparatus for applying a tape or other rib-bon-likematerial partially about cartons and' other like articles.

It is not uncommon to band individual articles, for example duringspecial promotions or to render the articles more acceptable as giftsfor holidays or other occasions. Such b ands are generally applied aspart of an article wrapper or during article wrapping operations andthus cannot be removed without destroying the function and/ orappearance of the article overwrap. In some instances, the bands may bemanually applied to wrapped articles. However, such operation is slowand expensive and often does not permit band removal without wrapperdamage. Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide anew or generally improved and more satisfactory apparatus for bandingarticles.

Another object is the provision of an apparatus for applying bandspartially about individual articles.

Still another object is the provision of the apparatus for snuglywrapping and band partially about an article and sealing the same atonly the ends thereof so as to permit the same to be easily removed.

Still further objects will appear from the following description.

The above objects are accomplished in accordance with the presentinvention by an apparatus where-in a continuous tape formed, forexample, from cellophane coated with a heat scalable material isdelivered from a supply source, gripped at its leading end, and thendrawn away from the supply source concomitantly with the continueddelivery thereof. An article which is to be banded is advanced againstthe tape with such force as to effect the release of the leading endthereof. This leading end of the tape is then sealed to the article. Thelength of tape which is necessary for completing the banding operat-ionis severed from the supply source and sealed to the article at itstrailing end.

The apparatus of the present invention is suitable fornse with a varietyof articles, such as packages and cartons which may be in a wrapped orunwrapped condition. For the sake of simplicity, however, the apparatusof the present invention is hereafter described as employed in bandingof wrapped cartons.

In the drawing, FIGURE 1 is a side view of the apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the apparatus which is opposite to that shownin FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 illustrating a portion of theapparatus on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse vertical section taken along the line IVIV ofFIGURE 3;

FIGURES 5l0 are diagrammatic illustration showing the sequence ofoperations in banding cartons with the [apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 11 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus of the presentinvention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing wherein like numeralsindicate like parts throughout the several views, the apparatus of thepresent invention includes a supporting frame 23 and a table 25. Cartons27 or other like articles which are to be banded are delivered to theapparatus by any suitable means, not shown, and are advanced along thetable 25 by a conveyor 29 having a pair 3,284,982 Patented Nov. 15, 1966ice of endless chains 31 and a series of carton push bars 33. As shownin FIGURES 1 and 11, the table 25 is in the form of an island which issupported from its under side by frame cross bars 34. With thisarrangement, the conveyor push bars 33 are able to pass freely to andfrom a portion of their path of travel which is located above the table25.

The conveyor chains 31 are each trained over corresponding sprockets 35,37 and 39, which are fixed to shafts 41, 43 and 45, respectively, andare advanced from a main drive shaft 47 by a rack 49 and -a cooperatingpinion 51. The shaft 47 is driven continuously by a suitable motor, notshown, through a chain 53 and a sprocket 55 and is connected to one endof the rack 49 by a lever 57. The rack 49 is reciprocated relative to aguide 59 as the drive shaft 47 is turned and serves to oscillate thepinion 51 relative to its shaft 61. A sprocket 63 is fixed to the shaft61 and is operatively connected to the pinion 51 through a conventionalone-way clutch, not shown, for rotation in only a clockwise direction,as viewed in FIG- URE 1. This rotary movement of the sprocket 63 is inturn transmitted through a 6112111165 and a sprocket 67 to the shaft 45and thus provides for intermittent advancement of the conveyor 29.

As an individual carton 27 is advanced along the table 25, its leadingend engages with a tape or other ribbonlike material 69, as shown inFIGURE 5. The tape 69 may consist of any heat and pressure sealab'lematerial, such as coated cellophane, and is supplied as a roll 71 whichis supported on a pin 73 projecting from a frame upright 75. From theroll 71, the tape 69 is led by a roll 77 inbetween endless belts 79 and81 of a feed mechanism 83. Drums 85 and 87 receive the respectiveendless belts 79 and 81 and cooperate with idler rolls 89 in maintainingsuch belts engaged snugly with the opposite sides of the tape 69. Asshown in FIGURE 4, a plurality of belts 79 and 81 are engaged with theopposite sides of the tape 69 to insure proper straightline feeding ofthe same.

The guide roll 77 and idler rolls 89 are rotatably mounted betweenbearing .plates 91 which are separated by spacers 93 and held togetherby bolts 95 and nuts 97. Certain of the bolts 95 extend through and areconnected to the frame upright 75 with additional spacers 99 beinginterposed between such upright and the adjacent bearing plate.

The drums 85 and 87 of the feed device 83 are also supported between thebearing plates 91 by their respective shafts 181 and 103. The shaft 101of the drum 85 is carried by plates 195 which are slidably supported bythe guides 107 and resiliently urged toward the drum 87 by spring 109.Movement of the drum 85 away from the drum 87, for example during lacingof the tape 69, is facilitated by rods 111 which project from the platesand extend through a cross piece 113. A shaft 115 is supported betweenthe ends of the rods 111 and carries cams 117 which serve to retract therods 111 as the shaft 115 is turned by its handle 119.

The drum 87 rotates the drum 85 through meshing gears 121 and 123 and isitself driven from the main drive shaft 47 through a rack 125 and acooperating pinion 127. As shown in FIGURE 2, the rack 125 isreciprocated relative to a guide 129 by a double lever 131 which isoscillated about its pivot 133 by a plate cam 135. One end of the lever131 is connected to the rack 125 by a link 137, while at its oppositeend the lever is provided with a follower 139 which is maintained incontact with the periphery of the cam by a tension spring 141.

The pinion 127 is oscillated about its supporting shaft 143 as thecooperating rack 125 is reciprocated and, in turn, drives the shaft 103of the feed drum 87. A conventional one-way clutch 145 is interposedbetween the shaft 103 and the pinion 127 and facilitates movement of thedrum 87 in only a tape feeding or clockwise direction, as viewed inFIGURE 2. As a precaution against feed back of the tape 69, a ratchet147 is fixed to the shaft 103 and is engaged by spring loaded pa-wls 149which permit rotation of the drum 87 in only the one desired direction.

As mentioned above, the drum 87 of the feed device 83 is driven from themain shaft 47. More particularly, an intermediate shaft 151 is drivenfrom the main shaft 47 by means of a chain 153 and sprockets 155 and 157and, in turn, drives a second shaft 159 through a chain 161 andsprockets 163 and 165. The plate cam 135 is fixed to rotate with theshaft 159 and, during each revolution thereof, causes the rack 125 todeliver a length of the tape 69 which is necessary for completing thebanding of the one carton. In view of the configuration of the plate cam135, it will be apparent that the tape 69 will be fed at different ratesof speed during the various stages of the carton banding operation.

As the tape 69 is delivered by the feed device 83, a pair of jaws 167and 169 nip the leading end thereof and draw the same across the path ofan oncoming carton 27 and into a position below the table 25. The jaws167 and 169 are located at one end of a rod 171 which is slidablysupported by a guide 173. The rod 171 is connected by a link 175 to oneend of a double lever 177 which is carried on a shaft 179. A follower181 is carried at the opposite end of the lever 177 and rides along theperiphery of the plate cam 183 which is fixed to the main drive shaft47. As the double lever 177 is oscillated above the shaft 179 by theplate cam 183, the rod 171 is reciprocated and thus carries the jaws 167and 169 into into their terminal positions, as shown in solid and brokenlines in FIGURE 3.

The jaw 167 is formed as an integral portion of the rod 171, while thejaw 169 is in the form of a bell crank lever which is pivoted to the rod171 by a pin 185. The jaw 169 is also pivoted at 187 to one end of a bar189 which will, of course, travel with the rod 171 and is also slidablysupported by the guide 173. A spring 191 resiliently urges the bar 189upwardly relative to the guide 173 so that the jaw 169 is normallymaintained in a closed position against the jaw 167. During the upwardstroke of the rod 171, however, the jaw 169 is urged into an openposition by a stop 193 which abuts against the guide 173 and arrests themovement of the bar 189 before the upward travel of the rod 171 iscompleted.

The plate cam 183 is designed to have the rod 171 dwell at its uppermostposition so that a substantial length of the tape 69 can be advancedwill inbetween the now open jaws 167 and 169. Under the force of thespring 191, the tape 69 is nipped by the jaws 167 and 169 as the rod 171starts and continues through its downward stroke until it is carried toa position below the table 25. The tape feed device 83 remains incontinuous operation during this downward travel of the rod 171 so thatthe jaws 167 and 169 exert little, if any, tension on the ad vancingtape.

The cam 183 also causes the rod 171 to dwell at its lowermost positionduring which time the conveyor 29 advances a carton 27 against and wellbeyond the path of the tape 69, as shown in FIGURES through 8. As thecarton 27 is moved from its position shown in FIG- URE 5 to that shownin FIGURE 6, the force of the spring 191 is overcome so that the leadingend of the tape 69 is gradually pulled from between the nipping jaws 167and 169. The leading end of the tape 69 is then sealed to the undersideof the carton 27 by an electrically heated shoe 195 which is carried atone end of a rocker arm 197. The shoe 195 is normally located below thesurface of the table 25 and periodically elevated into operativeposition by a cam 199 which is fixed to the Spring mounted abutmentplates 201 are yieldably holding the cartons 27 against during this andsubsequent operations.

The feed device 83 continues to advance the tape 69 during the abovedescribed movement of the carton 27 and until the carton assumes aposition as shown in FIGURE 7. At this point, the tape 69 is severed byblades 203 and 205. The blade 203 is fixed to the frame upright 75,while blade 205 is carried at one end of a bell crank lever 207 which ispivoted to the sup orting frame at 209. A plate cam 211 oscillates thelever 207 about its pivot and is carried by a shaft 213 which is drivenfrom the shaft 151 by a chain 215 and sprockets 217 and 219.

As the carton 27 moves into a position as shown in FIGURE 8, theconveyor 29 is stopped. A tucker plate 221 then pulls the tape snuglyabout the carton 27 and urges its severed end'downwardly between thetrailing end of the carton 27 and a recessed portion 223 of the adjacentconveyor push bar 33. The tucker plate 221 is slidably mounted on fixedguide rods 225 and is vertically reciprocated by a slide bar 227preferably through a conventional lost motion connection, as indicatedat 228. As best shown in FIGURE 2, the slide bar 227 is connected by alink 229 to a lever 231 which is pivoted to the supporting frame at 233.A spring 235 maintains the lever 231 engaged with the periphery of aplate cam 237 which is fixed to the main drive shaft 47.

The cam 237 serves to oscillate the lever 231 and is designed to havethe tucker plate 221 dwell at its lowermost position during which timethe trailing end of the severed length of tape is sealed onto theunderside of the carton 27. This sealing operation is effected, as shownin FIGURES 9 and 10, by a second electrically heated shoe 239 which ispivoted to one end of a double lever 241 by shaft 151. provided for thetable 25 a pin 243. The lever 241 is oscillated about the shaft 179 by acam 245 which is fixed to turn with the main drive shaft 47. A spring247 urges the shoe 239 against a stationary plate cam 249 which permit acontrolled upward movement of the shoe 239 concomitantly with itsarcuate movement by the lever 24 1. The shoe 239 presses the severed endof the tape 69 upwardly against the carton 27 with a wiping action. Itwill be further noted that the lost motion connection 228 permits thetucker plate 221 to be deflected upwardly by the shoe 239 and thusenables this shoe to smooth or pull the tape taut as it moves past theadjacent carton corner.

The banded carton may be removed from the apparatus by any suitablemeans, not shown. From the above description, it will be apparent thatthe band or tape is atfixed to the carton at only its ends and may bereadily removed without damaging the carton It is to be understood thatchanges and variations may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for banding a carton or like article including tape supplymeans, means for feeding a heat sealsaid supply means, means for nippingthe tape with a predetermined force, means for moving said nipping meanswhereby the leading end of the tape may be drawn away from said feedingmeans, means for advancing a carton against the tape to pull the samefrom said nipping means, a heated shoe for sealing only the leading endof the tape to the carton, means operative after the leading end of thetape has been sealed to the of the severed tape to the carton.

2. Apparatus for banding a carton or like article including tape supplymeans, means for feed-ing a tape from said supply means, means fornipping the leading end of the tape with a predetermined force, meansfor moving said nipping means whereby the leading end of the tape may bedrawn away from said feeding means, a conveyor for advancing a cartonagainst the tape with such force as to pull the leading end of the tapefrom said nipping means, means for sealing the leading end of the tapeto the carton, means for severing the tape from the supply means, atucker plate for urging the se vered tape along the trailing portion ofthe carton and means for sealing the trailing end of the severed tape tothe carton.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for sealing theleading and trailing ends of the tape to the carton include heatedpressure shoes.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which said moving means serves tocarry the nipping means toward and away from said feeding means andwherein said nipping means includes a pair of jaws, resilient meansnormally urging said jaws toward each other with a predetermined force,and means for urging said jaws into an open position as they are movedtoward said feeding means.

5. Appartus as defined in claim 2 wherein said tape feeding meansincludes a pair of drums, endless belts laced over said drums forengaging with the opposite sides of the tape, roll cooperating with saiddrums for directing the opposing reaches of said belts alongsubstantially straight parallel paths, and means for together rotatingsaid drums in opposite directions and at substantially the same rate ofspeed.

6. Apparatus for banding a carton or like article including a cartonsupporting table, tape supply means located along one side of saidtable, means for feeding a tape from said supply means, means fornipping the leading end of the tape with a predetermined force, meansfor moving said nipping means away from said feeding means and throughan opening in said table to thereby carry the leading end of the tapethrough to the opposite side thereof, means for advancing a carton alongsaid one side of the table and against the tape to pull the leading endthereof from said nipping means, a heated pressure shoe for sealing theleading end of the tape to the carton, means for severing the tape fromsaid supply means, a tucker plate for urging the trailing end of thesevered tape through a second opening in the table and to said oppositeside thereof, and a second heated pressure shoe for sealing the trailingend of the severed tape to the carton.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which said moving means serves tocarry the nipping means toward and away from said feeding means andwherein said nipping means includes a pair of jaws, resilient meansnormally urging said jaws toward each other with a predetermined force,and means for urging said jaws into an open posi- 10 tion as they aremoved toward said feeding means.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said tape feeding meansincludes a pair of drums, endless belts laced over said drums forengaging with the opposite sides of the tape, rolls cooperating withsaid drums for directing the opposing reaches of said belts alongsubstantially straight parallel paths, and means for together rotatingsaid drums in opposite directions and at substantially the same rate ofspeed.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said tape feeding meansincludes a pair of drums, endless belts laced over said drums forengaging with the opposite sides of the tape, rolls cooperating withsaid drums for directing the opposing reaches of said belts alongsubstantially straight parallel paths, and means for together rotatingsaid drums in opposite directions and at substantially the same rate ofspeed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK E. BAILEY,Primary Examiner. L. S. BOUCHARD, Assistant Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR BANDING A CARTON OR LIKE ARTICLE INCLUDING TAPE SUPPLYMEANS, MEANS FOR FEEDING A HEAT SEALABLE TAPE FROM SAID SUPPLY MEANS,MEANS FOR NIPPING THE TAPE WITH A PREDETERMINED FORCE, MEANS FOR MOVINGSAID NIPPING MEANS WHEREBY THE LEADING END OF THE TAPE MAY BE DRAWN AWAYFROM SAID FEEDING MEANS, MEANS FOR ADVANCING A CARTON AGAINST THE TAPETO PULL THE SAME FROM SAID NIPPING MEANS, A HEATED SHOE FOR SEALING ONLYTHE LEADING END OF THE TAPE TO THE CARTON, MEANS OPERATIVE